Energy Testing Yourself

Energy Testing Yourself Energy Testing . There's no better way to really get t o know your energy field, inside and out, than a reliable energy self-t est. If you wish to find out what your energy field responds best to, what compromises your energy and functioning, and what subconscious thoughts/ beliefs/memories sabotage your ability to grow and change, energy self-testing is the key. Muscle Testing. In Energy Psychology, "muscle testing" is a frequent type of energy test, used to assess or dowse energy flow through a muscle group. The muscle testing u sed by Energy Psychology clinicians is a simple form of Kinesiology. What's more, energy self-testing is easy and fun to do. My new book, "Divining Health: A Dowsing Approach to Emotional Freedom ", offers you user-friendly instruction in techniques such as those presented below, along with a structured energy-t est protocol for your own self-care.

Energy Testing Without Muscle . Also popular and exceedingly useful are energy-check methods that do not test muscle energy. These methods are ideal for self-use, and are the methods I offer my clients and use myself: (1) ideomotor test, (2) "sticky-smooth" test, (3) pendulum dowsing. I'll introduce you to these energy self-tests and then suggest practice activities. [If you're new to this type of activity, I suggest you do The Three and/orr Belly-Button Correction first just to boost your energy, reinforce correct Thumps and/o polarity, and defuse your excitement!] 1. IDEOMOTOR TEST. The term "ideomotor" suggests that an idea or thought connects with a motor response. An ideomotor energy test demonstrates exactly that, even if the idea/thought is subconscious rather than conscious. An easy, useful ideomotor test is the "SWAY TEST" using your whole standing body. Just as a tree leans to face the sun, the human body inclines naturally toward what agrees with it. That's why the Sway Test is a g reat guide for healthy supermarket shopping! Think YES, with a strong positive feeling. Wait, and notice your body's subtle response to YES. It will naturally sway slightly forward. Repeat this a few times for practice. Now think NO, with a yucky negative feeling. Notice your body's response to NO. It will lean slightly back or to the side, and do so readily and reliably with practice. That's the ideomotor response.

Sway Test

A subtle and handy variation of the Sway Test is the "Head Nod." Try it right now if you like. Relax, breathe, and then invite your head to indicate YES. Notice your head's natural response to YES. It will naturally tip slightly forward as though beginning to nod, "Yes." Repeat for practice. Then relax, breathe, and invite your head to indicate NO. Notice your head's natural response to NO. It will naturally turn slightly to the side as though beginning a head-shake, "No," or it will draw back a little. We'll do some "practical practice" a little further on. 2. STICKY-SMOOTH TESTS. Place the palms of your hands together and rub them against each other a few times. Then, ask your body to use a smooth feeling to mean "Yes." Just b e in "allow" mode, letting your body relax and respond. Now, rub your hands together gently and notice how they feel for Yes. Take your time. Practice a few times until Yes and smooth are reliably connected. Next, ask your body to u se a sticky feeling to mean "No." Let your body respond. Rub your hands together gent ly and notice how they feel for No. Take your time, and practice a few times unt il No and sticky are reliably connected. Now that your body has the idea, try it with "Yum!" and "Yuck!" Your body will know to respond with smooth for Yum and sticky for Yuck. A useful one-handed variation on the smooth-sticky test is a finger test. Rub the pads of your index finger and thumb lightly together to get the feel. The n, ask your body to use a smooth feeling to mean "Yes" or "Agree" or "That's healthy/okay for me." Let your body respond. Rub your finger and thumb together gently and notice how they feel for Yes. Take your time, and practice a few times un til "Yes" or "agree" or "okay for me" are reliably connected to smooth. Then, ask your body to use a sticky feeling to mean "No" or "disagree" or "That's not okay for me." Proceed as before. Practice a few times un til "No" or "disagree" or "not okay" and sticky are reliably connected. Now try the finger/thumb test with "Yum!" and "Yuck!" Your fingers will respond with smooth for Yum and sticky for Yuck.

A subtle and handy variation of the Sway Test is the "Head Nod." Try it right now if you like. Relax, breathe, and then invite your head to indicate YES. Notice your head's natural response to YES. It will naturally tip slightly forward as though beginning to nod, "Yes." Repeat for practice. Then relax, breathe, and invite your head to indicate NO. Notice your head's natural response to NO. It will naturally turn slightly to the side as though beginning a head-shake, "No," or it will draw back a little. We'll do some "practical practice" a little further on. 2. STICKY-SMOOTH TESTS. Place the palms of your hands together and rub them against each other a few times. Then, ask your body to use a smooth feeling to mean "Yes." Just b e in "allow" mode, letting your body relax and respond. Now, rub your hands together gently and notice how they feel for Yes. Take your time. Practice a few times until Yes and smooth are reliably connected. Next, ask your body to u se a sticky feeling to mean "No." Let your body respond. Rub your hands together gent ly and notice how they feel for No. Take your time, and practice a few times unt il No and sticky are reliably connected. Now that your body has the idea, try it with "Yum!" and "Yuck!" Your body will know to respond with smooth for Yum and sticky for Yuck. A useful one-handed variation on the smooth-sticky test is a finger test. Rub the pads of your index finger and thumb lightly together to get the feel. The n, ask your body to use a smooth feeling to mean "Yes" or "Agree" or "That's healthy/okay for me." Let your body respond. Rub your finger and thumb together gently and notice how they feel for Yes. Take your time, and practice a few times un til "Yes" or "agree" or "okay for me" are reliably connected to smooth. Then, ask your body to use a sticky feeling to mean "No" or "disagree" or "That's not okay for me." Proceed as before. Practice a few times un til "No" or "disagree" or "not okay" and sticky are reliably connected. Now try the finger/thumb test with "Yum!" and "Yuck!" Your fingers will respond with smooth for Yum and sticky for Yuck.

PENDULUM DOWSING TEST. Some people prefer to use a pendulum to check or "dowse" for energy flow and related information. You'll need a small weight on the end of a 5 or 6 inch cord or string. A lifesaver on a piece of thread works fine. A pendant on a chain is great. In a pinch, I've used a ring on a piece of dental floss! Hold the string quietly between thumb and index finger - in neutral. Just as you did with the other self-tests, think YES, with a strong positive feeling, and watch your pendulum. It will begin to swing in a circle or forward-and-back or sideto-side. That particular movement means Yes for your pendulum and you. Practice a few t imes. Do the same with a strong NO thought and feeling, and watch your pendulum. It's likely to make the opposite movement. If it swung forward-and-back for Yes, it may swing side-toside for No. If it circled clockwise for Yes, it may swing counter-clockwise for No. If your response is unclear, choose one of those patterns I just mentioned, and practice those pendulum movements while thinking/feeling Yes and No. Once your pendulum is programmed, it will always use the same indicators unless you program it differently.

ENERGY SELF-TEST - PRACTICE:

To make our practice practical, let's test a number of your cosmetic or cleaning items, one at a time. Take a few moments to assemble the products you'd like to check. 1. Decide which energy self-test you're g oing to concentrate on, at least for now. 2. Place one of your test products on th e table/counter in front of you. 3. Quietly focus visual attention on the item. Breathe into your center and relax yourself. 4. Set your intention to t est, "Healthy for me - Yes or No." 5. Using your self-test, observe your energy response to the item - a Yes or No. 6. Now try the next product. The items for which you get a No response are probably not very healthy for you, energetically, even if not in other noticeable ways.

NOTES & REMINDERS! Phrase your questions carefully so that they may be answered with a clear Yes or No. Know that the answers are available from the "Dowsing System" where they are stored in our great holographic universe, including in our own hearts, minds and souls. For accurate information, stay focused, yet relaxed and with a playful attitude. If you start to feel uneasy or anxious or self-doubting, do The Three Thumps and the Belly-Button Correction . Take a break and play again later! Relaxed practice evolves into skill! If the material on this Energy Testing page has piqued your interest and you're eager to learn more, my Divining Health manual was written for you! For more information abouttDivining Health and for order instructions, click here. abou

Self, Home, and Surrogate Testing by Gary F. Zeolla Other articles listed at NAET and Applied Kinesiology describe the basics of Applied Kinesiology, also known as muscle response testing. This article will describe additional ways of performing this diagnostic method.

Self-Testing Applied Kinesiology is primarily a diagnostic tool used by medical practitioners. But it is also possible to perform the testing method on oneself. In fact, learning to do so can be very beneficial in taking control of one’s own health. One method for performing self- testing is called the “O-ring” test. This is done by touching the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pinky finger. You then use the index finger of the other had to try to pull the fingers apart. And unless you have some structural problem like carpal tunnel, you should not be able to pull the fingers apart. You then place a sample of a possible allergen in the hand forming the “O.” And if you are allergic to the item you should now be able to pull the fingers apart. This might sound sounds simple enough to do, but it actually takes quite a bit of practice to learn how to do it properly.

I had known about this self-testing method for some time from reading the  book Allergy Relief  by Sylvia Godlfarb, but I could never seem to “get it.” Even when I was holding something I knew I was allergic to I still couldn’t pull my fingers apart. But I finally figured out what I was doing wrong: I wasn’t waiting long enough before trying. It seems that for me to get an accurate reading I need to hold the item for at least 15 seconds, and it also helps if I sniff it. So to be sure I was in fact getting an accurate reading, I took several items I had self-tested into the doctor I was seeing at the time for NAET treatments. I had her test me on the items I had tested at home. I ended up being correct on all but one item. And I re-tested that one when I got home I got it right as well.

Another point to note is the doctor said that being dehydrated can cause one to get inaccurate results. So if you’re thirsty, you should drink something before trying to do any testing. I learned how to do the O-ring testing met hod first as it’s the method described in the above mentioned book. But a second method is described in Dr. Devi’s book Say Goodbye to Illness. It is called the finger on finger method. Dr. Devi explains, “The finger on finger test is used in self -testing. Strength of the interphalangeal muscles of two fingers is compared here. Middle finer is pushed on using the index finger of the same hand or vice versa in the absence and presence of the allergen in the other hand” (p. 108).

It only took me a couple of minutes of practice to learn how to do this. How I did it at first was to hold my index finger straight out. I then put the tip of my middle finger on the fingernail of the index finger. I then pushed down with the middle finger and resisted with the index finger. In the absence of an allergen or the asking of a question, the index finger should remain strong and straight. Later I tried reversing the fingers, and found this a little more comfortable to do. I wrapped my index finger around my middle finger, placing the tip of the index finger on the first knuckle right below the fingernail of the middle finger. I was sitting outside when first tried this so I first tried asked questions using this method. I started with a couple of obvious questions: “Am I a male?” “Am I a female?” To the first question my index weakened and bent down indicating the “yes” response. To the second it remained strong and straight indicating the “no” response. So I knew right away that I could self-test using this method. And as I practiced with this method I realized it was even more valuable than the Oring testing method. With the finger on finger method only one hand is needed to test for allergens or to ask question. So it can be discretely used in a public place. But whatever method one uses, it is very important for someone with a history of allergies to learn some kind of self-testing method. It takes practice and being "tuned in" to one's own body to do so, but the effort is worth it. As Dr. Devi Nambudripad writes: After considerable practice, some people are able to test themselves efficiently using these methods. It is very important for allergenic people to learn some form of selftesting technique to screen out contact with possible allergens to prevent allergic reactions in order to have freedom to live in this chemically polluted world….

Hundreds of new allergens are thrown into the world daily by non-allergenic people who do not understand the predicament of allergenic people. If you want to live in this world looking and feeling normal among normal people, side by side with the allergens, you need to learn how to test on your own (Nambudripad , Say Goodbye, p. 109). I know by experience that this self-testing works. Before I was treated for all of my allergies with NAET, this testing enabled me to identify what I was and was not allergic to. If I tested okay with a food and ate it, I suffered no ill effects. If I tested as allergic to something and ate it anyway, I would immediately get very congested. And it has worked great in a self-diagnostic manner as well. For instance, with my fibromyalgia there have been many times when I have felt pain in a muscle like I had  pulled it. But I would use the self-testing to ask if I had in fact I injured myself. And when I would get that I did not, I would make sure by asking if I could safely ignore the pain. And when the testing said I could, I went ahead and went to the gym to work out. Or if I were already working out, I would just continue my workout. In many cases, the pain was gone by the time I got to the gym, or it eased up while as I continued to lift. I never made the pain worse by working out. But if it had been a real injury, then lifting weights should have made it worse. So the muscle testing saved me from missing workouts when there would have been no reason to do so. In fact, with as often as I was getting such pains, if it hadn’t been for the muscle testing, I might have given up on lifting altogether like I had once  before due to such pains. But instead, I am now not only working out but actually doing so with surprising success. See My Powerlifting Background for more in this regard. One final point needs to be mentioned in this regard. At one point I was getting seemingly inaccurate answers to my self-testing. And it took an appointment with Dr, Caryl to determine why. In the article Proper NAET Treatment Method, I mention about the doctor touching various parts of my body corresponding to various organs. And if I tested “weak” she would rub the area unti l tested strong. Since I hadn’t been to the doctor in over two months, this hadn’t been done in quite a while. And most of my organs were now “out of balance.” So what the doctor figured was that this lack of balance in my organs was the reason I was getting some inaccurate answers in my self-testing. She then gave me a chart showering where the organ points were and said I should periodically rub them myself

to keep myself in balance. And after this, I began to get different but more accurate answers to the same questions I had asked previously. So it is important to “stay in  balance” either by going to a practitioner or by home treatments.

Home Testing I also went to another practitioner for NAET treatments. In the spring of 2001 he held a free health seminar. He even graciously gave me permission to sell my Creationist Diet book at the seminar. At the seminar he talked about the muscle testing that he uses in his office. He explained that Applied Kinesiology is based on the principle that all objects emit some kind of energy. If the energy of the object conflicts with the energy of your body it will weaken it. As a vivid example of this, he had someone come forward who had loaned him a watch to use before the seminar. The doctor doesn’t wear a watch himself as he considers it unhealthy. The reason for this is the energy from the battery could interfere with the energy flow in one’s own body. The electrical current can easily pass through the watch to one’s wrist as the back of the watch is generally made of metal. And even the LED readout could be a problem. In any case, he had the man hold out his arm and hold the watch in his other hand. The doctor then told him to resist and pushed down on the man’s arm. The arm went straight down. the doctor then used just two fingers and was still able to push the arm down, and then using just one finger. He then told the man he would give him a $100 gift certificate to his office i f he could hold his arm up, but the man still couldn’t, even with $100 on the line! This whole scene was rather funny but a vivid example of how effective muscle testing can be. Also at the seminar the doctor had everyone stand up and try to do the arm testing with a partner. He told the tester (the one trying to push the arm down) to think (not say out loud), “Is this person a male?” And then, “Is this person a female?” Such questions are a good way to test to see if you are getting accurate answers. And some people did look like they were getting some kind of results. I was sitting by myself at the seminar behind the table where I was selling my books, so I wasn’t able to try this then. But I tried it later with my dad, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get accurate answers. It took me quite a lot of practice until I was as able to test myself, and I would suspect that to be able to test others would require even more practice.

But it would be nice to be able to test family members and others for allergies or even for the need for supplements. However, one has to be careful here, especially if one starts to try to diagnose the cause of other people’s health problems. This should really  be left to those with the proper training. In fact, later the doctor gave me a pamphlet explaining what is involved in getting certified to use Applied Kinesiology as a diagnostic method. The pamphlet states, “To  practice AK, one must take a basic course that takes over 100 hours of classroom study and practice to complete. A basic proficiency exam in AK must be passed at the end of the course.” Moreover, not just anyone can take this course. “The International College of Applied Kinesiology and the courses offered by the College are only open to those individuals who are health care practitioners, licensed to diagnose or students enrolled in an accredited program who, upon completion, will be granted license to diagnose” ( Applied Kinesiology pamphlet ).

So it might be interesting to play around with trying to test others, but to actually use Applied Kinesiology to test others is a serious matter. And it is important that a  practitioner is skilled in doing muscle testing. It is an art that requires quite a bit of  practice.

Surrogate Testing At the seminar, the doctor also discuss ed “surrogate testing.” For this, the practitioner does not do the muscle testing on the person to be tested directly but to another person. Two people sit beside each other, first the person to be tested and then the surrogate. The practitioner stands in front of the surrogate. The testee holds the item to be tested in one hand and places his/ her other hand on the surrogate’s hand, and then the tester tests the outstretched opposite arm of the surrogate. I know this sounds strange, but it does work. The reason for it, as the doctor explained, the energy of the testee passes through into the surrogate. If one doubts this, the doctor said to have two people hold hands and have the first person stick his finger in an electrical socket. He claimed that only the second person would get electrocuted but not the first. I have no doubts that the second person would be electrocuted, but I’m not so sure that the first wouldn’t. But I’m not about to conduct such an experience to find out! But whatever the case, my, and I’m sure anyone else’s, reluctance to be even the second

 person in such a test shows that we all just “know” that energy can pass from one  person to another. The value in using a surrogate is when the person to be tested can’t understand what needs to be done or can’t hold his/ her arm out and have force applied to it, such as in the case of small children or someone who has some kind of problem in both shoulders.

For that matter, there is also a certain skill involved in being the testee. The person  being tested needs to hold his/ her arm out with the same amount of resistant each time something is tested or a false reading might be given. It is probably to save time explaining all of this that the doctor uses the surrogate method almost exclusively, at least with new patients.

2012 Update I no longer recommend or trust "applied kinesiology." According to this testing method, my health is just fine. But it most definitely is not. I am feel allergic to just about everything and am so fatigued that I can barely function. I most definitely would not use it to test for muscular injuries. I injured my right leg on two different occasion (the hamstring then the adductor). In both cases, I tried self-testing and it told me they were not injuries, so I ignored the pain and kept lifting. In the process I really screwed my leg up. So now, years later, both injuries still bother me tremendously and have never healed. Between my worsening health and these injuries I can barely work out anymore. For further details, see Dangers of Applied Kinesiology and NAET. Bibliography:  Applied Kinesiology pamphlet. ICAK-USA. Shawnee Mission, KS, 1997. Godlfarb, Sylvia PhD. Allergy Relief . New York: Avery, 2000.  Nambudripad, Devi, M.D. Say Goodbye to Illness. Buena Park, CA: Delta Publishers, 1999. Zeolla, Gary. Creationist Diet: Nutrition and God-given Foods According to the Bible. AuthorHouse. © Gary F. Zeolla, 2000.

Self, Home, and Surrogate Testing . Copyright © 2002 by Gary F. Zeolla. Disclaimer: The material presented in this article is intended for educational purposes only. The author is not offering medical or legal advice. Accuracy of information is attempted but not guaranteed. Before undertaking any diet, exercise, or health improvement program, one should consult your doctor. The author is in no way responsible or liable for any bodily harm, physical, mental, or emotional, that results from following any of the advice i n this article.

Using Muscle Testing In Meridian Therapy by Jake Paul Fratkin, OMD There are certain challanges in using Japanese Meridian Therapy, including determining the correct

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well as choosing the best therapeutic points. This can be especially difficult in weakened or chronic patients where pulse differentiation is fuzzy or indiscernible, and in diagnosing infants and small children. The purpose of Meridian Therapy is obvious: to bring the yin and yang pulses into balance and restore the overall quality to that of a healthy pulse. This should be done with a minimum of needles. THE WORK OF DR. INEON MOON. When I first started on the path of Meridian Therapy under Dr. Ineon Moon 23 years ago, he demonstrated the value of muscle testing for determining excesses and deficiencies in the channels. He learned the actual technique from chiropractors using Applied Kinesiology (AK), who would test a patient’s arm or leg for relative strength. In AK, the patient, the doctor, or a third party touches a spot on the body (this is called therapy localization) and then test an indicator limb to see if it goes weak. Dr. Moon used this technique to make his own discoveries. He learned that if one finger touched a point and the indicator muscle was weak, this indicated a deficiency, and that if two fingers touched (usually patient and practitioner together), this indicated an excess. Dr. Moon used this technique to show which channels were excessive and which channels were deficient. He then relied on the traditional Five Phase relationships to bring the channels back into equilibrium. For example if Liver was excess and Lung was deficient, he might tonify the wood point of the Lung, or sedate the metal point of the Liver. Clinically, he liked to move the ener gy of a channel of excess to a channel of deficiency when possible. In all cases he used muscle testing to confirm if his treatment was effective. Muscle testing became a frequent research tool for Dr. Moon. For example, he would hold different colored poster paper in front of a patient one at a time to see which color made the patient’s arm weak (red, yellow, blue, white, black). If a patient became weakened with one particular color, that indicated the deficient phase: red-Fire (Ht, PC), yellow-Earth (Sp), blue-Wood (Liv), white-Metal (Lu) or black-Water (Ki). He also showed that patients could be weak when facing in a particular direction: south-Fire, west-Metal, north-Water, and east-Wood. (Earth is at the center.) This meant that an inherently weak meridian could cause any indicator muscle to go weak if facing in the weak direction. This puts a damper on conventional muscle testing knowing that one out of four directions might weakened a patient’s response on any inquiry! THE PROBLEM OF SWITCHING. Another of Dr. Moon’s discoveries was that of “switching”, which he taught to the  AK practitioners. Switching means that the body is giving an inaccurate muscle response because the energy is switching at certain acupuncture network crossing points. The cause of switching include stress or fatigue, exposure to strong electromagnetic fields such as computers, certain pharmaceuticals (especially analgesics and tranquilizers), and marijuana. When the body is switched, not only will muscle testing be i naccurate, but the therapeutic effects of acupuncture will be greatly diminished. This is why patients on painkillers or marijuana have a mediocre response to acupuncture. Dr. Moon created a test for switching: he had the patients touch both of their thumbs and pinky fingers while he tested an indicator muscle. If this weakened, it meant they were switching. He discovered certain “dejamming” points which,

when vigorously massaged, would reverse or eradicate switching. These points include Du 4, Du 15, Du 20 , Du 26, Ren 24, Ren 5-6, Sp 21, and then the crossing points of the limbs – TW 8, PC 6, Sp 6, and GB 37. In practice, it was often enough to massage in a circular fashion Du 4, Ren 5-6, and Sp 21. Du 26 and Ren 24 would also accomplish this. I recommend that one do this to all patients before any diagnosis or treatment. If the practitioner is switched (which is common due to fatigue), he or she cannot muscle test accurately. This is a frequent reason why certain practitioners get erroneous findings. Dr. Moon encouraged practitioners to dejam themselves prior to any testing, by rubbing Du 26-Ren 24, or Ren 5-6, etc. I have found that focused Dantian/Hara breathing while working prevents switching, but if you find yourself getting spacey or unfocused, it’s a good idea to dejam yourself. MUSCLE TESTING YOURSELF INSTEAD OF THE PATIENT. Over the years I have learned to muscle test my own fingers rather than the patient’s arm or leg to make a diagnosis. I have found it difficult to rely on the muscle testing of patients because they vary so much in strength. Some will weaken with every attempt because they are weak; others will weaken because it validates their complaint (“If this is weak, I really do have a problem”). Or there is the macho man response – “You can’t overpower me!” There are several reasons I prefer to test myself. Foremost, by avoiding the pitfalls and variations of testing patents, it is ultimately faster and more accurate. Second, it is difficult to muscle test a patient once needles are in place, especially if the needles are in the wrist or arm. Third, I can test many points along the arms, legs and torso quickly if I only test myself. And finally, I can do this technique without anyfanfare. Patients seldom notice what I am doing, and if they do and ask, they readily accept my explanation that I am muscle testing my own fingers to determine excesses and deficiencies on their points. If you are already comfortable with muscle testing the patient’s arm or leg, then of course proceed with your method . Remember, you are not trying to push the muscle over or win a contest. You are feeling the reactive strength of the muscle before and after therapy localizing. I muscle test myself with O-ring testing. O-ring testing originated with Dr. Yoshiaki Omura and has been promoted by Dr. Miki Shima, but this method required testing the patient’s fingers. In self O -ring testing, I recommend the following method for right handed practitioners. (Left handed practitioners merely reverse the roles of the hands.) Make an Oring with your left hand, that is, make a ring shape by touching your thumb and index finger. Then hold your index finger and thumb from your right hand flat and together, and place them into the circle created by the index finger and thumb of your left hand. You want to open the left hand circle by slowly separating and spreading your right hand index finger and thumb. You can train yourself by using an AA battery. Hold the battery in one of your hands and determine the minimum amount of pressure require to separate your left hand thumb and index finger. Now put the battery down and use exactly the same amount of strength to separate the fingers in the same way. At this point, the fingers should not separate. Pick up the battery again and confirm the minimum amount of separating pressure required to open the fingers. Again, let go of the battery and use the same amount of separating pressure. The fingers should not open. Do this as a training, over and over and over again until your fingers sense the minimum amount of pressure required. My experience is that when a meridian point is weak, it acts the same as with the AA battery. The fact that you trained

yourself on an AA battery prepares you for feeling, sensing and responding in the same way to a weakened p oint. This may take some time. DETERMINING POINTS OF DEFICIENCY OR EXCESS. Once you have mastered your ability to O-ring muscle test and you trust this ability, you can use it to test for imbalances on acupuncture points. The method is to use one of your free fingers on your right hand to therapy localize the point. I use my ring finger. If a point is deficient and requires treatment, one finger touching that point will make the O-ring go weak. A point that is often weak on patients is Liv 8, and this is a good point to practice testing yourself or others. Of course, exact location is required, so travel around a little until your find the “presently alive point”. Points that are excess usually show on the yang channels, particularly Stomach or Gallbladder. To determine which point is involved, touch with your right hand ring finger, and place the ring finger from the left hand on top of it. This is in accordance with Dr. Moon’s two finger protocol to determine excess. If your O -ring goes weak, this point is excess and needs to be drained. Besides determining points for Meridian Therapy, O-ring testing is also effective for choosing local points in a treatment. In headache, for example, I always find points that are deficient in the general area of the h eadache itself. Placement of needles here, in combination with the correct root treatment, will treat that headache favorably. The same can be said for local injury, which will show either as deficiency or excess. USING MUSCLE TESTING IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. Muscle testing does not show all points that need to be treated, only those which are most seriously affected. That is to say, if I find a point that weakens the O -ring, I must treat that point. Following this, I evaluate the pulse for the overall effect, or for other imbalances. Often, the muscle tested points are the only ones that require treatment, even if the whole treatment only uses one or two needles. To give an example of it successfulness, I treated a rather nervous and neurotic patient who had many complaints: injuries from an auto accident with accompanying headache and dizziness, with a prior history of endometriosis with severe dysmenorrhea. She was very controlling and would only allow two or three needles retained for n o more than five or six minutes. Despite shallow insertion (about 1 mm), she complained with every needle. I thought she was a professional patient who was deeply invested in keeping her problems. I treated her once a week in fifteen minute sessions for ten weeks, but I was not confident that I would have much success with her. Although she only allowed me to do root treatment, by the end of the ten sessions she was a changed person. She was happy, content and cheerful. She reported that her dysmenorrhea, headache and dizziness were completely gone, and that her joint problems were much improved. As I have told this story before, I chalked it u p to the miracle of Meridian Therapy. But I think equal credit is due to the fact that muscle testing correctly diagnosed her most imbalanced points, allowing for a focused treatment. The point of muscle testing is that it is a tool that you integrate into your own style or system. You can use it to confirm patterns, make point selection, and determine if treatment is effective. There are ot her tangible benefits from using this technique. For myself, it has gradually trained my finger to feel if the point is excess or deficient, even before muscle testing confirms the result. Also I can diagnose young children without pulse dia gnosis, and be certain of my point selection for treatment. I have seen excellent clinical results using this with pediatric cases.

MY TREATMENT PROTOCOL. I would like to describe the treatment protocol I am currently using. You can see that I integrate muscle testing and pulse diagnosis together. Also, I have developed a working routine that can be applied to all patients, regardless of their complaint. This makes for an efficient and relaxed practice. FRONT SIDE TREATMENT. The patient is clothed, with elbows, knees, and belly exposed. 1) I lightly brush my fingers checking for rough or damp skin on the abdomen, and use single needle pecking on those area. 2) I check Ren 12 and Ren 5 -6 area, and if they are weak, I put in a 40mm #3 metal needle, with moxa on the needle.  Also I check Du 20-22, which I treat with a 40 mm #1 needle, without moxa. About 80% of my patients need to have these points treated. 3) I then check certain key channel and points, and treat them immediately if they show the need. The actual muscle testing diagnosis is done quickly. I usually check an arm and a leg on one side, then move to the other side arm and leg. When I do this, I check most points for deficiency; a few I test for excess (E). The points are: Ht 3, 7; PC 3, 6, 7; LU 5, 7, 9. LI 4, 5 (E for excess), 11(E); TW 4, 5; SI 1, 3, 6. SP 1, 3, 4, 5 (E), 6, 9; LIV 1, 2(E), 3, 5, 8; KI 1, 2, 3, 6, 10. ST 45, 44 (E), 41, 36; GB 43(E), 41, 40, 38 (E), 34; BL 67, 64, 62. Typically only one or two points show deficiency by this method, and I treat with a 30mm #1 or #0 needle. I use qi gong to send mind-thought and energy down the shaft of the needle, into the point, and up the channel. I try to extend my energy so that it reaches DU 20, Baihui on the patient. If there are excesses, which are only occasionally, I sedate with a 30mm #3 metal handle needle. If a deficient point is an Eight Extraordinary Channel point (TW 5, GB 41, Sp 4, etc.), I will treat it with a 30mm #3 metal needles, which I will connect with Ion Pumping Cords to its partner on the other side of the body. I believe that this circulates the energy in a spiral fashion. 4) I now look at the pulse to see what is still out of balance. Often, what we have done is enough to balance the yin and yang pulses. Occasionally a channel may appear excess and I will look for a point on that channel and treat it with sedation technique. When there are remaining deficiencies, I have discovered that they are usually paired according to Eight Extra Channel patnerships (PC-SP, KI-LU, TW-GB, SI-BL, LI-ST, LIV-PC). I always treat these using their Eight Extra Channel points (TW 5, GB 41, etc.) again with 30mm #3 metal handle n eedles. I connect them across the body with Ion Pumping Cords to their partner master point. It is essential that I muscle test the c orrect direction of the cords, which I do by testing on the box switch. If you are using unidirectional cords, you can hook up and muscle test at the needle. If weak, then the cables are the wrong direction. It should become strong when you change the direction of the cable. If the points are strong in both directions, this means that the Ion Pumping Cords

are not required an d that the pair’s equilibrium is already correctly balanced. I have gotten very good results by following Meridian Therapy with Eight Extra Channel treatment, and it seems to be required on most all of my patients. 5) This concludes the front sided treatment, which I leave in place for about seven minutes. If I am using Ion Pumping Cords, after six or seven minutes I will go back and see if the Eight Extraordinary Channel pair is strong with the cord in both directions (checking the switch on the box). When both are strong, then the front treatment is over. BACK SIDED TREATMENT. The patient is undressed down to underwear, lying face down. 6) I lightly brush my fingers checking for rough or damp skin along the back, scapula and spine and use single needle pecking on those areas. 7) I then palpate for sore intravertebral spaces and mark them with a pen. I will do in and out insertion on the adjacent Hua To points to the sore spaces (whcih I learned from Kubota’s “Ishizaki Style Acupuncture” in the March 1997 issue of NAJOM). I will also place needles in the Kori around TW 15, and on all patients I connect Ion Pumping Cords from BL 40 to BL 58, same side, and muscle test for correct direction. This pumps and relieves congestion along the Bladder channel of the neck and back. I then go back to the intervertebral spaces that I have marked and see if any are still sore. If so, they will receive 3 to 5 small cones of moxa, or a #1 needle. Finally, I place 40 mm # 3 metal needles on certain Shu points, such as liver (BL 18) or kidney (BL 23), and do needle moxa on them. 8) Branch treatment might then done for specific complaints, such as headache, shoulder pain, lower back pain or hip pain. The complete treatments take about thirty minutes. I feel they are thorough, and a short series (two to four treatments, once weekly) is very beneficial. The front side treatment is where the root imbalances are corrected. The back treatment reinforces the root, as well as relieves stagnations in the fascia and along the spine. For many cases, I will perform the front side treatment alone, which I schedule for fifteen minutes. I recommend that all patients get this treatment at least once a month even when they are feeling well, as a worthwhile preventative. Muscle testing has taught me several things about Meridian Therapy. First of all, it seems that most patients have a liver deficiency requiring treatment at Liv 8. Secondly, it is very common for HT 3 to show unilaterally or bilaterally, and I will treat this despite the historic warnings against tonifying the heart. This may mean that many of my patients have a new pattern, a Heart pattern, which I believe represents blood deficiency. This may be due to the altitude of my town (5200 feet, 1730 meters). Thirdly, most of my patients require treatment to Du 20, Ren 12 and Ren 5-6. indicating common and chronic stresses on Shen, Spleen and Kidney.  As for the Eight Extrordinary Channel patterns, most patients show that one of the two yin patterns is deficient. Also, if GB 41 shows, there is almost always a hip rotation showing, which I treat as a Dai Mai-Yangwei pattern. I use sacraloccipital block treatment to help here, again muscle testing the correct locations of the blocks. In conclusion, muscle testing allows me to work efficiently and effectively. Time and again, the clinical success of this protocol impresses me. Patients recover more quickly, and they require very few needles per session. Should you

decide to use this muscle testing technique, I encourage you to perservere in its application. Have patience, practice constantly, and have faith in your ability. It will reward you and your patients many times over. JAKE PAUL FRATKIN, OMD is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine in practice since 1978. After seven years basic training in Japanese acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in this country, he went to Beijing for one year to do advanced hospital training in herbal internal medicine, pediatrics and medical qi gong. He is the author of CHINESE HERBAL PATENT MEDICINES, (2001), a respected reference work of 120 0 Chinese herbal products available in this country. In 1999 he received the national award, Acupuncturist of the Year, from the American Association of Oriental Medicine, and 2006 he received the award as Acupuncture Teacher of the Year. He is a recognized expert in the treatment of leaky gut syndrome, chronic respiratory and digestive disorders. Jake lives and practices in Boulder, Color ado

Muscle Testing: A Skill to Self-Test Your Rheumatoid  Arthritis-Related Allergies and Emotions FEBRUARY 19, 2013 LEAVE A COMMENT

 Applied Kinesiology & Muscle Testing My introduction to muscle testing came from my naturopath doctor who performed NAET, or the Nambudripad  Allergy Elimination Technique. At first, I had trouble believing that this so-called skill was even real at all. Rather, it sounds too hocus pocus; was it even a magic trick? I held an allergen vial in my hand, close to my body and extended my arm out horizontally. The ND started to exert downward pressure on my arm. If my arm became weak and started to drop despite resisting the downward pressure, it meant to say that I was allergic to the substance in the vial I was holding. If my arm remained „strong‟, that is, if the downward pressure could not moved me out of position while I kept my resistance, I was not allergic to that allergen inside that vial.

I couldn‟t believe muscle testing earlier either; but in my earlier post, I‟d reasoned out after trying multiple diets, attempted so many different kinds of supplements and realised one thing: I could be more allergic than I thought I was. While ALCAT blood test had helped me much with identification of the major categories of food allergens, I could not help but think that there could be more. And these may be the reasons that I cannot get well. I started to search for ways to eliminate allergies and during this journey, I encountered my ND (Dr Lynn) who muscle tested me for many foods items and even emotions. I was allergic to common foods such as cow‟s milk, gluten, rice, soy, ginger, many vegetables and many fruits (which are believed to be some of the healthiest of foo ds); and shockingly, I had allergies to Vitamin B, Vitamin K, hormone, vaccination, magnesium, as well as viruses, mycoplasma, bacteria such as Streptococcus Rheumatism, etc. These are commonly accepted phenomenon with NAET doctors but of course, something that mainstream medicine or believers of conventional medicines cannot accept, acknowledge and agree upon. The conventional drug model has come up with some effective drugs and tools in saving people‟s lives (no doubt), but they are nearly always a band-aid and rarely address the foundational cause of the illness. Muscle testing offers a completely different approach towards healing and uncovering of health conditions through detection of the abnormal energy blockages that are developed as a result of wounds that we are going through at one stage or many different stages of our lives. These blockages disrupt and disturb the normal energy pathways with which we were born with; and very often, leads to what we call chronic illnesses today. How It Works Generally, for Rheumatoid Arthritis, I use mu scle testing as a guide (accuracy depends on practices) to help me identify imbalances in my energy field. Yes, if you are curious, we do have energy systems or fields that are, in ever y bit, as real as our nervous or immune systems. I‟m going to explain how muscle testing works from a Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) point of view. TCM acupuncture and meridian principles have evolved for the past few thousands years but have not been quite well understood in the West. You‟ll know why if you read on.

In Oriental principles, free flowing energy ensure the perfect balance of the body. When the body is in perfect balance, and the sympathetic nerves are in control, allergic reactions are not possible. Illness - pain, inflammation, swelling and various discomforts – is a warning given by the brain to the rest of the body regarding the possible dangers if energy disturbances are allowed to continue within the energy channels of the body. Everything and everyone is composed of energy (with individual vibrational frequencies). Simply put, if an object say a food or supplement – virtually everything (with its own energy) – comes into contact with your own energy field, and these two energies are compatible and in congruence, they make you stronger. However, if they are not compatible, they will gradually weaken your body. When a body becomes imbalanced, allergic manifestations a ppear and things or events that can cause an imbalance can include a serious accident, a major operation, a childhood disease, an emotional shock, loss of loved ones, loss of  jobs, betrayal, child abuse, etc. It may be that one has been repeatedly exposed to particular hypersensitive allergens over a short period that the body‟s defenses have become exhausted due to overwork. In the book, The Power of Infinite Love & Gratitude by Dr. Darren Weissman, he describes muscle testing this way:  “The body has an innate intelligence that can be assessed with this method to determin  e whether it‟s maintaining balance. Just like the autonomic nervous system, muscle testing is a polarity -dependent mechanism where a muscle will maintain its strength as long as there‟s a congruency with the function, adaptablility, and the survival of the  entire organism. When there‟s incongruency, an indicator muscle will test weak. When a muscle locks out, it‟s an indication that whatever is being evaluated is congruent with the overall balance of the body. When the muscle gives way, it‟s a sign that wha t‟s being tested is incongruent with this balance.”  Muscle Testing Uses for Rheumatoid Arthritis Muscle Testing can be a great tool to help you gauge whether something weakens or strengthens you, and can give

you an indication as to how well tolerated it will be by your system. From my experience, muscle testing is extremely useful for RA via: 1.

Uncovering which food item is safe for you. Remember how food allergies or intolerance tests such as RAST, ELISA and ALCAT only cover at most 200 foods, muscle testing basically allows you to test anything and everything, not just food item. For environmental allergens, you can collect some water in a glass or container and leave it near the allergens for examples, near the carpet, outside the house, etc over night and muscle test with it.

2.

Revealing any concomitants or synergistic (combination) allergies. Simply put or combine any two or more suspected food items in your hand and proceed with a muscle test.

3.  An advanced level of muscle testing is able to help you with identification of the causes that short-circuit your energy field that results in the original symptoms and hence, RA. It becomes apparent through my conversation with energy medicine practitioners and research that highlights that unresolved psychological or emotional trauma or conflicts often cause most, if not all, chronic physical health complaints that trigger the energy imbalances, which frequently cause more damages by thoroughly disrupting the energy circuitry of our bodies. How to Perform Self Muscle Testing Thankfully, I learned how to muscle self test and where needed, I can back up my answers with my husband if in doubt. There are many ways to perform a self muscle test and I shall briefly describe a few of the popular methods below. First, before performing a muscle self-test, it is important that your energy is „clear‟ in order to get answers as accurate as possible. If you have been drinking alcohol or using drugs that affect your senses, then the answers you get will not be as accurate. It is also important to stay as hydrated as possible through the testing process. Remember, caffeine dehydrates the body and should not be used when performing a muscle testing. Method 1 – Double Loops

1.  Always start by ensuring that your thoughts do not affect your answers. Keep your intention to keep yourself clear by making a statement like this: „I intend to stay clear and accept answers provided‟.

2.

Place the tip of your tongue so that it is on the root of your mouth just behind your front teeth.

3.

Bring the tip of your thumb and index finger together on the left hand to form a loop.

4.

With the right hand, bring the thumb and index finger together so that they interlock between the left hand‟s finger loop.

5.  Ask permission to ask questions by asking: „ Do we have permission to muscle-test __________?”, then attempt to pull the chain apart by pulling one of the circles against the opening of the other. o

If it stays strong, the answer is Yes.

o

If the loop breaks, the answer is No.

6.

To verify that the method works for you, you can perform a check as follows:

o

Say „My Name is (say your name)‟, then test. The muscle should stay strong.

o

Say „My Name is (say someone‟s name)‟, then t est. The loop should break.

If this method works for you, you can check for any food, chemical or environmental allergies. Or any other questions you like to find out about your body. Wording of the question or statement is critical . Be as specific as possible. Ask one thing at a time. For allergies, simply hold the substance in contact with your body. It is necessary to apply the same amount of pressure when asking all your questions.  An added note to point 5 above, when performing this test, the rest of your fingers are open and relaxed. When you pull outward, do it with small to medium effort (it should not be a competition between fingers), and resist having the loop broken. Be relaxed except for the immediate muscles that are engaged in the pulling action. When you pull, say  „Resist‟. A hold will mean Yes or Positive. A break will mean No or Negative, which can also be taken to mean detrimental (in respect of the substance you are testing for your health). There are many variations to try out and establish your baseline or feel for the muscle strength and weakness. Now, try this: make your loop and pull outwards and hold and say this is my yes. Make your loop and pull outwards and break and say this is my no. When the muscle is not giving a clear, strong Yes, thump the thymus. The thymus is beneath the breastbone, about a hand‟s width below the throat. Thump about 25 times.

Method 2 – Finger Rubbing

1. Lightly touch the pads/tips of the index finger and thumb of one hand together. 2. As you ask questions, lightly slide the pads across each other. 3. Yes = the pads slide very smoothly, there is no resistance. 4. No = the pads are sticky against each other, there is resistance. 5. This can also be done using both hands rubbed against each other. 6. Sometimes, the answers are reversed. The Yes response is sticky and the No response is smooth. Method 3 – One Loop & Slide

1. Make a loop with your thumb and index finger of your non-dominant hand. 2. Hold light tension in your loop. 3. Insert the index finger of your opposite ie dominant hand into the loo p. 4. Slide the index finger quickly towards the place where the index finger and thumb is joined to make a loop. 5. Yes = the loop stays closed and holds the tester finger inside. 6. No = the loop breaks. Method 4 – Full Arm Press

1. Pull out your left arm straight out in front of you, parallel to the ground. 2. Place your right hand on your left arm, somewhere between your elbow and wrist. 3. Apply downward pressure for few seconds to your left arm. 4. Yes = Arm stays strong, no stress felt on shoulder joint. 5. No = Arm becomes weak, it drops and you feel stress in your shoulder joint when resisting. 6. Always apply same amount of pressure when pushing down the arm. Method 5 – Finger Over Finger

1. Point out your index finger of your non-dominant hand (eg left hand) 2. Place your other index finger of opposite hand right on top of the nail of your left index finger. 3. Apply pressure from your right index finger to press down on your left index finger. 4. Yes = Left index finger stays strong, no pressure felt on finger joint 5. No = Right index finger goes weak, pressure felt when resisting. I recommend you use something you already know makes your muscle go weak to practice with. Try putting pressure on your finger or arm, with and without, that stimulus. Get a feel for the difference in the strength of your finger or arm when you introduce, and take away, the item/stimulus you are practicing with. Feel when and how the finger or arm goes weak. If the finger or arm does not go weak, you may need to train it to go weak. Consciously allow the finger or arm to break loose when the stimulus is introduced. This is just temporary. Once your body gets the feel for the weakness, it will do it automatically. Try practicing with the words “yes” or “no”. One should go weak and the other strong. Feel the difference in your finger or arm when you say each word as you press down with your other finger or hand. If you ask me which of the above 5 methods work for me, I‟d say I‟m lucky with Method 5 – the Finger over Finger Method. You may test all methods out and find the right method that works for you.  Accuracy of Self Muscle Testing For beginners, accuracy will be higher if you hold the substance close to you and your energy field when practicing the muscle self testing because this is a way that makes it clear to your mind that the substance is the item to be tested and result will be either a strong or weak. Our body is an instrument or a mean for communication and as long as we are clear in our mind, the answers we are getting will be consistent. Do not force a particular result because by being partial to getting a certain response, you

will be interfering with the accuracy and voids the purpose of doing testing in the first place. Therefore, be mindful not to over-push through the resistance because you hope to get a certain response. Meaning to say that accuracy shall be achieved if you perform the test without attachment to the outcome and desiring only truth. Practice makes perfect. Try the same test a few times to re-determine and assess if you are reading the muscle strength and weakness accurately. The more consistent your body‟s response and your reading and interpretation of it, the more confirmed you can be of the result and its accuracy. If you are tired, or stressed out, or unable to concentrate or under the infl uence of a toxin; you may get inconsistent results. Similarly, if you are dehydrated, you‟re likely to get inaccurate or inconsistent result. Then, stop for a while and try it again when you‟re more energetic, well-hydrated and clear-minded. If you are asking a certain question say emotion, your sickness, etc (ie, when you are not testing something physical), be specific about the question and clearly focus on the item in your mind to yield maximum accuracy.  Advanced Self Muscle Testing Once you have achieved certain confidence in testing a particular physical substance, you may begin fiddling around with „yes‟ or „no‟ questions. Here, you‟ll need more efforts in assuring accuracy since questions asked MUST be very clear and specific so that it can only be interpreted in one way for which the only r esponse is clearly a Yes or a No. For instance, asking „Can I exercise today?‟ is not as good and specific a question as is „Can I go on a bicycle ride today?‟. This type of „Yes‟ or „No‟ questioning is considered to be a form of advanced self muscle testing. Try out asking questions in different ways and observe the responses until you get the feel of consistency by asking the same question in different manners.

My perspective of muscle testing is about attempting to learn about our past, and means of accessing our personal stored subconscious information, in what Gary Craig, the founder of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) terms as  „writing on our walls‟. This writing is made up of thoughts, beliefs and values we acquired from parents, school,

culture, religion, experiences, etc. This subconscious information is useful so we can change it or let it go to bring about the alignment of power in our subconscious mind with our conscious desires. Pendulum Alternative for Self Muscle Testing Pendulum dowsing is another form of muscle self-testing and as with all other techniques and methods I list above, this requires practice for accuracy as well. At some point in time, like some people, I also use a pendulum to check or  “dowse” for energy flow and related information.

Hold the pendulum between your thumb and index finger with your elbow slightly bent at your side. Use the hand that feels most comfortable for your. Relax and it is crucial to let the natural vibrations of your own body move through your hand to the pendulum. Just as you did with the other self-te sts, think YES, with a strong positive feeling, and watch your pendulum. It will begin to swing in a circle or forward-and-back or side-to-side. That particular movement means Yes for your pendulum and you. Practice a few times. Try this: Ask your pendulum something that is true: “Is my name (say your real name)?”. Note what the response is. This will give you a “Yes”. Now ask your pendulum something that you know is not true: “Is my name Clinton?”. Note what the response is. This will give you a “No”. There is no need to buy a crystal pendulum if you do not wish to spend this extra dollar. You can create your own pendulum out of a small weight on the end of a 5 or 6 inch cord or string. A pendant on a chain works just as fine.  You can even hook a ring over a piece of dental floss, if you like! Some Important Tips The pendulum is good for providing a second opinion. It uses your own energy and as such should not be touched by others who many impart their vibrations onto the pendulum, leading to inconsistency or inaccuracy of answers. Keep the pendulum within your proximity for a month such that it can absorb your own energies and resonate with you within your own energy field. It is also necessary to clean your pendulum in salt water overnight after the purchase and once a month thereafter. Some people have reported good results with the pendulum held about 1″ above the open palm of their opposite hand, since it is said to open up your energy circuits and creates a bio-feedback loop such that energy will flow more

freely. If the pendulum does not work well for you, open and close your hands a few times to activate the hand energy. Also try to clear your minds of preconceptions about the outcome to any questions you are asking. After each question was answered, clear the energy from the pendulum by lowering the tip for a moment to your hand or any surfaces to signal that your question has been answered and you are ready for the next one. Ending Remark 

 As I am concluding my post on how to apply muscle testing to help us identify what weakens us (eg our food allergies or intolerance), therefore, what we should be avoiding to prevent excessive inflammation and burden triggered by these allergens in management of our RA; I would be expecting only those who can be open minded enough to appreciate this skill and move on to try out for yourselves. Although it may not be accurate 100% all the time, at least, for a condition to manifest so badly enough to eventually emerge as an RA situation, I concur that it should work well more often than not. You can use muscle testing skill to determine if a particular meal is alright for you. If it‟s not, you can probe further and look into the ingredients that go into that meal; and ask questions that narrow down to pinpoint that particular hidden ingredient that actually cause flare-ups in your RA. Test your rheumatoi d drugs and medications as well. Recall how some people got very sick with biologics or DMARDs because they can be allergic to these drugs. I applied this skill for testing the basic items that I‟m using on a daily basis, including cosmetics, personal care items, supplements, and so forth. Muscle testing, in its advanced form, has been cited to be extremely helpful in uncovering underlying causes of your RA and other health issues, especially those that are unique to your system. Meantime, Good Luck with self muscle testing. Enjoy the learning process and keep on practicing. Once  you have established your list of allergens, I’ll briefly share with you an approach that empowers you to work towards eliminating these allergies and intolerance, as well as those emotional disturbances that are preventing your recovery from RA. Till my next post!

TEST BEFORE YOU INGEST

When I first learned about muscle testing from my friend Andrea Mandel, I was amazed that we have such a biofeedback tool available to us that can determine what resonates with our own bodies. As Andrea says, "Our bodies have an inner wisdom, and this is a way for us to communicate with that wisdom." Since then, I have learned many methods of muscle testing from a variety of people, and share it with my students and clients. While muscle testing is usually done with a partner, there are self-testing methods we can perform. A favorite self-testing method is the "Sway Test" which you can begin practicing today. Kinesiology (pronounced kin-easy-ology) is a form of biomechanics which investigates and analyzes human motion. In 1964, Dr. George Goodheart, Jr., introduced the world to Applied Kinesiology which is based on the fact that the body never lies. Applied Kinesiology has become a standard for many chiropractors, nutritionists and homeopaths who use muscle testing as a means of dialoging with the body. Muscle, or Energy Testing, is the response of our individual energy systems to the vibrations of certain substances, people and even statements we make. Our nervous system is a 37-mile-long antenna which discriminates subtle frequencies that scientific instruments can't measure. While MRIs, EEGs, and CAT scans give us vital information, for more subtle feedback most professionals rely on muscle testing. In her book, Energy Medicine, Donna Eden says, "If I had the power to impact the medical profession in just one way, it would be that physicians add energy testing to their diagnostic tool kit." Donna also states that in maintaining health, knowledge is power, and suggests using muscle testing to determine what foods, vitamins and supplements we should and should not take in to our bodies.

Each person has an unique energy system just like each of us has our own fingerprint. The foods we eat and the supplements we take impact each of us differently, making nutrition an individual matter. Our body resonates with certain vibrations and tenses against others, either stabilizing or stressing our system. What better way to find out what is good for our body than to test it ourselves? In the mid-1070's, Dr. John Diamond began muscle testing the positive and negative effects certain thoughts have on the Thymus Gland, which lies just beneath the upper part of the breastbone in the middle of the chest and is the master controller of our life energy. This is where we hold substances with the Sway Test. THE SWAY TEST

A Self-Testing Method for Vitamins, Supplements and Food Stand with your feet no more than shoulder width apart. Either test barefoot or in flat shoes such as sneakers. Heels are not recommended. 

Place the substance you are testing in one hand and close your fist over it. Hold this hand up to your heart center, which is your thymus gland. Then place your other hand over the first one. 

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State: "This is good for my body."

Become still, centered, close your eyes, take a deep breath, release it and let go. After a few moments you become aware of your body either being pulled forward or falling backwards.

If you feel yourself falling forward, your body is embracing the substance in a positive reaction. If you feel yourself going backward, away from what you are testing, your body is repelling it in a negative reaction. Sometimes we don't get a reaction or are not sure what answer our body is giving us. If you feel you are not getting a true reading, take the following steps: 

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Perform the test again. Make sure to take a deep breath and clear your head. Drink water —your energy system may be dehydrated. If you can, take the vitamins or supplements out of the plastic container and place one pill or tablet in your hand (not recommended in health food stores). Program your body to go forward for a positive answer and backward for a negative answer. I had to do this when my body started swaying sideways! Simple tell your body "Go forward for a yes answer," and "Go backward for a no answer." Then test your body by saying "yes" and waiting for a response, then saying "no" and waiting for a response. Once your body continually sways forward for "yes" and backward for "no" you can be more assured of a true reading.

Remember that since the body is electrical, energetic, physical and metabolic, it is always in a state of flux. What is good for us one day may not be as beneficial the next. And we may overload on certain foods or vitamins, creating a toxic, or allergic, reaction to our energy system. Therefore, it is best to test before you ingest at various times. Test your vitamins, supplements and other products on a regular basis, or at least when you buy a new supply. And make sure to test different brands of the same product to find which brand

is best for your body. With foods, test them at different stages of processing or cooking. Although raw green beans may test positive, canned or micro-waved beans may not be as healthy. Although you can learn the Sway Test in a few minutes, it may take some practice before you feel comfortable using it. Since this method is always available, day or night, requires no instruments, and is free, you can practice it regularly with almost any product or food. The more you practice, the more instinctive it becomes. When I first learned muscle testing, I even asked my body what color clothing was beneficial for me each day! Colors have vibrations, and sometimes one color especially resonates with our bodies. And I received lots of funny looks and questions in the health food stores. I even ask my body if supplements are good for my husband before I buy them. I have since learned other less noticeable ways to muscle test. However, the Sway Test seems to be the easiest method to learn and gives people a way to instantly take control of their own health. USING THE SWAY TEST TO DETERMINE DOSAGE

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Hold one capsule or tablet in your hand and state, "This is good for my body." If you sway forward, add another capsule and state again, "This is good for my body." Keep adding capsules, one by one, until you sway backward. Then you have exceeded the optimum dosage by one.

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Also ask the body, "I take this dose once a day."

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If you go forward, state, "I take this dose twice a day."